Facing a mental health crisis, an NJ school pulled a beloved novel

Lead: In February 2026 the South Orange & Maplewood School District removed Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao from an Advanced Placement English Literature class at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., after a wave of student mental-health emergencies. Superintendent Jason Bing said administrators requested the removal as part of an immediate response to multiple suicide attempts and recent student deaths; the district later allowed parents to opt in so their children could read the book in class. PEN America still classifies the curriculum restriction as a book ban, while the district is rolling out opt-in mental-health screening and expanded supports for students.

Key Takeaways

• Columbia High School removed Junot Díaz’s novel from an AP English class in February 2026 amid a local mental-health crisis that district officials describe as affecting students in AP and honors courses.
• Superintendent Jason Bing said at least five CHS students attempted suicide this year and the district reported two deaths in December 2025, one an accident and one a suicide of a student enrolled at a private school but known to CHS students.
• The novel had been in the district curriculum since 2011 and taught by teacher Lori Martling; 47 students in Martling’s AP Lit class plus over 200 students and alumni signed a petition to reinstate it.
• PEN America’s November 2024 tracking report found nearly 60% of restricted titles are young-adult works that depict grief, death, suicide or other mental-health issues; advocacy groups define curriculum restrictions as bans.
• The district released a 19-page document titled ‘Mental Health Data and Concerns 25-26’ to parents and plans an opt-in mental-health screening for CHS students, with the book available in class to students whose parents give consent by early March 2026.
• Students asked for counselors to attend classroom discussions; Superintendent Bing rejected that proposal, saying not every curriculum item should require social-worker scaffolding.
• Community demographics (2023-24): 50.3% white, 30.4% Black, 8.5% Hispanic, 6.9% two or more races, 3.7% Asian; CHS commonly sends high-achieving seniors to top universities.

Background

The School District of South Orange & Maplewood serves Maplewood and South Orange, suburban communities roughly 15 miles west of New York City. The district has long positioned itself as diverse and welcoming; in June 2023 the local board passed a ‘Right to Read’ resolution, and New Jersey enacted a statewide ‘Freedom to Read’ law in December 2024 addressing library content. The district says the recent removal of Díaz’s novel was not a response to outside pressure but an internal curriculum decision by administrators related to an urgent local mental-health situation.

Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a Pulitzer Prize–winning work widely taught in high schools and universities; the district taught it since 2011 and CHS teacher Lori Martling has used it in AP Lit and honors classes for more than a decade. Nationally, advocacy groups including PEN America and the American Library Association have documented a rise in challenges and removals of books that treat suicide, grief, substance abuse and sexual violence, especially among young-adult titles.

Main Event

In mid-February 2026, after administrators discovered a scene in Oscar Wao in which the protagonist attempts suicide, the district pulled the novel from Martling’s AP Literature class. Superintendent Jason Bing told NPR that the decision was made by administrators and defended it as part of a broader emergency response to a cluster of serious mental-health incidents among CHS students, including at least five suicide attempts this school year.

The removal first became public through reporting by CHS student journalist Ella Levy at The Village Green. The district initially recalled copies that had already been distributed to students and subsequently offered an opt-in permission form allowing parents to consent to their children studying the book in class. District officials said the book remains in the CHS library, though access in classroom settings is being limited pending parental permission.

The administration also delivered a 19-page report to CHS families titled ‘Mental Health Data and Concerns 25-26’ and announced plans for opt-in mental-health screening and bolstered counseling services. Students and parents held meetings with district leaders; after community outcry the district relented partially by allowing parental opt-in rather than a wholesale curriculum ban.

Analysis & Implications

The district framed the move as a targeted, time-limited curricular adjustment meant to avoid triggering students during an acute crisis. That rationale responds to an urgent ethical tension schools face: balancing intellectual freedom and pedagogical value against a duty of care when student safety is at stake. Administrators argued the choice was curriculum-specific and temporary; critics say removing guided classroom access undermines teachers and deprives students of supported engagement with difficult material.

Educationally, literature that treats trauma or suicidal ideation can function as a language for students to name feelings and access resources when taught with supports. Teacher Lori Martling and affected students say the classroom setting provides structure, content warnings and alternatives, enabling teachers to guide discussions and connect struggling students to help. Removing that scaffold can leave vulnerable students to process sensitive themes in isolation.

Legally and politically, the case sits inside a nationwide pattern of book challenges that increasingly cite student-wellness concerns rather than the more common earlier objections about sexual content or race. Advocacy groups warn that allowing mental-health worries to justify curricular removals without clear, evidence-based protocols may create a permissive pathway to broader censorship while removing educators’ discretion.

Comparison & Data

The table places local facts alongside national trends. The district’s demographic makeup (2023-24) helps explain community stakes: half the student body is white and a large share are Black students, with a mix of other groups; many CHS seniors pursue selective colleges, and AP/honors environments are high-pressure contexts where both achievement stress and exposure to peer networks can shape mental-health dynamics.

Reactions & Quotes

Administrators described the decision as protective and time-sensitive; critics called it restrictive of learning and educator expertise. Below are representative quotes with brief context.

“From our perspective it’s a curriculum choice that’s meeting the needs of these specific kids at this specific time.”

Jason Bing, Superintendent

Bing emphasized that administrators, not parents, initiated the removal and framed it as a narrow choice tied to the local crisis rather than a statement about the book’s value.

“I generally resist the idea that there’s something supremely dangerous about art.”

Junot Díaz, author

Díaz stressed that literature helps reduce isolation and provides language to process difficult experiences; he said removing art is not the right way to address student distress.

“The impulse to protect students is valid…but removing the opportunity to learn can be harmful.”

Kasey Meehan, PEN America

Meehan placed the episode in a national pattern and argued that restricting classroom access can deprive students of guided frameworks for discussing grief, suicide and other sensitive topics.

Unconfirmed

• Who specifically instigated the administrators’ request to remove the book has not been publicly identified or confirmed.
• There is no public evidence that reading Oscar Wao directly caused or inspired the student attempts; the district described the decision as precautionary amid a broader cluster of incidents.
• Precise timelines for the district’s planned screenings and the full scope of added mental-health staffing beyond the announced opt-in screening remain subject to further confirmation.

Bottom Line

The Columbia High School episode crystallizes a difficult trade-off schools confront when acute student-wellness crises collide with curricular decisions. Administrators prioritized immediate protection and parental choice; students, teachers and free-expression groups argued that removing guided classroom engagement erodes educational opportunities and professional judgment.

Going forward, the most constructive path will pair any temporary curricular adjustments with transparent, evidence-informed protocols: clear criteria for when material is restricted, immediate expansion of counseling capacity, options that preserve guided study for students who want it, and community dialogue that keeps educators involved. Observers should watch whether the district’s opt-in screening and expanded supports are implemented quickly and whether policy changes follow that clarify when and how curricular limitations may be used during crises.

Sources

• NPR — news report and interviews with district officials, teacher and author (media).
• PEN America — research and analysis on book restrictions (advocacy/monitoring organization).
• American Library Association — tracking of library challenges and definitions of bans (national professional association).
• School District of South Orange & Maplewood — district website and official communications (official/local education agency).
• The Village Green — local reporting that first published the student-journalist account (local news site).